Multisite multiplayer interactive electronic entertainment system having a partially player defined universe

ABSTRACT

A multisite multiplayer interactive electronic entertainment system has a number of cockpits driven by each of several local processors. Each cockpit has a number of high resolution color displays mounted therein, and is mounted on a full motion base. Each cockpit represents a spacecraft in a partially player defined universe. A hub processor connected to each of the several local processors is responsible for maintaining a database of players and player virtual personae, for maintaining a description of a game universe, and for communicating between local processors.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/400,035, filed Mar. 7,1995 U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,127.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field

The invention relates to the field of multiplayer, fully immersive, realtime, multisensory, interactive, role playing electronic games. Thesegames are immersive in that the players are fully enclosed in thededicated game environment. These games are multisensory in that theentertainment system stimulates the players through the visual,auditory, tactile, kinesthetic senses. Games of this type are roleplaying in that each player assumes for game purposes the attributes, orpersona of a particular fictional character in the game universe.

2. Prior art

In a game environment known as "Fighter Town," each player is seated ina cockpit mounted on a hydraulic full motion base, where each cockpitrepresents a game aircraft. The primary visual graphical display isexternal to the cockpit, taking the form of a projection screen in frontof each cockpit. Game aircraft within the same retail facility may speakwith each other, but there are no provisions for communications betweengame aircraft at different retail facilities.

In a game environment known as "Magic Edge" each player is seated in acockpit mounted on a hydraulic partial motion base. The primary visualgraphics display is a single high display projected in front of thecockpit, driven by a Silicon Graphics Onyx Reality Engine graphicalprocessing engine. Game aircraft within the same retail facility maytalk with each other, but there are no provisions for communicationsbetween game aircraft at different retail facilities or forcommunication with players at home computers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a system of interconnected video gamedevices whereby several players, who may be physically located at morethan one disparate location, may interact within the same game universe.

Each player is immersed within a cockpit having an electronic visualdisplay device to stimulate the player's visual sense, a microphone withwhich a player may talk with other players, and a pair of loudspeakersto stimulate the player's auditory sense. The cockpit also incorporatesa touch panel and control devices to allow the player to interact withthe system. The cockpit is mounted upon a full motion base to stimulatethe player's tactile and kinesthetic senses. Immersion of the player inthe game universe is enhanced through fully enclosing each cockpit toexclude extraneous sensory signals from the player.

In order to enhance realism, each cockpit is equipped with a highresolution center display and two lower resolution side, or wing,displays. This display system covers one hundred sixty degrees of thevisual field of the player. It has been found that displays totalingapproximately 160 degrees of the player's visual field produce a greatersubjective feeling of reality in the player's mind than do displays thatcover significantly less of the player's visual field.

Each cockpit at a first retail establishment is connected to a localprocessor. Each local processor at each location is connected through adigital communications network to a hub processor, which is in turnconnected to the local processors at other retail establishments.

The hub processor is responsible for maintaining the game universewithin which each player is represented as a living entity, which may ormay not be human, and each occupied cockpit is a spacecraft engaged inexploration, commerce and raiding within the game universe. The hubprocessor maintains a database including each player's playercharacteristics, including a description of the virtual persona of thatplayer's character in the game universe, a record of each player'sactivity and flights, coordinates of preferred locations and activitiesfor each player, and each player's personal planets within the gameuniverse.

The hub processor may also be interconnected to a plurality of homecomputers, each of which may also represent a planetary manager,merchant, or other entity engaged in commerce and raiding within thegame universe. Players using such home computers will not, however,experience the same degree of immersion in the game universe as a playerenclosed in a cockpit.

The hub processor may also create and control several computer drivenpersonalities and spacecraft that may also interact with players in thegame universe.

Real time control software is required for each cockpit, for theprocessor at each retail establishment, and for the hub processor.

The real time software for each cockpit is interrupt driven. Each inputevent, for example the player fastening the restraint device, generatesan interrupt. Upon answering the interrupt, an interrupt handlingroutine marks the incoming event and associated information in asequence control table. A sequence control module reads the sequencecontrol table to learn which functional routines must execute, anddispatches the required routines.

The game universe is constructed in part by players. A player may builda world on a home computer by selecting a planet size from a menu ofoptions. Similarly, the type of star the planet orbits, the type,direction, and inclination of orbit relative to the ecliptic, and anumber of political, social, and biosphere factors includingcharacteristics of any sentient species may be selected from the menus.Further, a level of industry and a number of military and architecturalcharacteristics may also be selected from the menus for inhabitedplanets. Each menu selection has a corresponding cost that is deductedfrom a ration of planetary points.

When a player has constructed a world, the player may submit that worldto the hub processor, which will then assign planetary coordinates inthe game universe. A player may then visit those worlds she hassubmitted, as well as others submitted by others, during a cockpitexperience.

THE DRAWINGS

The best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1: is a schematic of the system, showing the hub processor, thelocal processors at each of two or more locations, and two or morecockpits at each location;

FIG. 2: a pictorial view of one cockpit opened to permit a player toenter, showing the electronic visual display, keyboard, and controldevices;

FIG. 3: a schematic view of one cockpit, showing the electronic visualdisplay, keyboard, control devices, loudspeakers, and processor;

FIG. 4: a cutaway view of one cockpit, showing the mechanism by whichthe back of the cockpit is opened to allow a player to enter thecockpit;

FIG. 5: a top view of one cockpit, with the roof cut away to show thearrangement of the front and side screens relative to a player in theseat;

FIG. 6: a block diagram of a silicon graphics reality engine II as usedto drive the displays of a number of cockpits in the present invention;

FIG. 7: a plan view showing the layout of a bay containing one cockpitopened for boarding;

FIG. 8: a sectional side view showing a hydraulic mechanism for openingand closing the cockpit back;

FIG. 9: a flow chart of a sequence control module as used in the controlsoftware for the system;

FIG. 10: a flow chart of the master control module, as used in thecontrol software for the system; and

FIG. 11: a diagram showing the interaction of the master control moduleand the several sequence control modules as used in the control softwarefor the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The game system of the present preferred embodiment incorporates a hubprocessor 40 and several retail facilities. Each retail facility furthercomprises a local processor 19 and a number of cockpits 20. The hubprocessor 40 may also be connected to one or more home computers 16.

Each cockpit station 20 further comprises an electropneumatic fullmotion base 48, and a motion base controller connected to the localprocessor 19. The cockpit front 27 (FIG. 2) is mounted upon the fullmotion base 48. Each cockpit also has a front display 41, a left sidedisplay 42, and a right side display 43. As shown on FIG. 5, the threedisplays 41, 42, and 43 subtend 160 degrees of a player's field of viewwhen the cockpit back 21 (FIG. 2) is in a closed position againstcockpit front 27 to enclose a player seated in seat 28. All threedisplays for the cockpit are driven by the local processor 19. The seatis equipped with a restraint system having a restraint-fastened sensorswitch 33 that is also connected to the local processor 19.

Each cockpit is also equipped with a left speaker 49, a right speaker50, a microphone 44, a control device 45, a touch panel 46, an identitycard swiping device 51 inside the cockpit, a second identity cardswiping device 17 outside the cockpit, and a motor drive 24 for openingand closing the cockpit. An electronic lock 18 provides access by aplayer to each cockpit. All of these elements are interfaced to thelocal processor 19.

A player approaching a cockpit of the system must first swipe thatplayer's magnetically readable identification or debit card through aexternal card reader 17 (FIGS. 3 and 7). The card reader notifies thecockpit processor 19 of the identity of the player. Upon verifyingproper credit in the player's account, and deducting a charge therefrom,the local processor releases the electronic lock 18, permitting theplayer to enter the doors 15. The player may then climb ramp 14 to gainaccess to the cockpit. A railing 13 is provided at an edge of the rampto prevent the player from falling underneath the cockpit. At this time,the local processor also requests player specific information from thehub processor 40.

Each cockpit 20 (FIG. 2) has a seat 28 (FIGS. 4 and 5) for a playerattached to a movable cockpit back 21. The cockpit back 21 slides bymeans of wheels 22 (FIG. 4) on rails 23. When a player desires to enterthe cockpit, and the processor 19 has released electronic lock 18 togrant the player access to the cockpit, reversible motor 24 rotatesthreaded worm 25 in a first direction of rotation. A split nut 26disposed about threaded worm 25 is attached to the cockpit back 21. Thisnut is split so that in event of power failure or other emergency thenut may be released from the worm 25 in one preferred embodiment, ordetached from the cockpit back 21 by means of release pin 29 in anotherpreferred embodiment of the present invention, to allow the cockpit tobe manually opened. Rotation of the worm 25 in the first directioncauses the nut 26 and cockpit back 21 to be driven away from the cockpitfront 27 sufficiently far, as sensed by limit switch 32, that the playermay enter the cockpit and secure himself into the seat 28.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cockpitback is mounted to the full motion base, and the cockpit front moves onwheels on rails to allow ingress or egress of a player. In thisembodiment, the mechanical arrangement for moving the cockpit front issimilar to that heretofore described for moving the cockpit back in theembodiments in which the cockpit back moves to allow ingress or egressof the player.

The player enters the cockpit, seats himself in seat 28, and fastens therestraint system consisting in the present preferred embodiment of fivepoint harness 30 as sensed by buckle switch 33, the player must keep herhands upon the restraint as sensed by an additional safe hands switch(not shown) to indicate to the local processor 19 that the player'shands are in a safe position, and motor 24 drives the worm 25 in adirection of rotation opposite to the first direction to close thecockpit. The split nut 26 and attached cockpit back 21 are driventowards the cockpit front 27 until the cockpit is closed as sensed bylimit switch 31. The cockpit closes upon an elastomeric seal (not shown)to limit extraneous visual and auditory distractions. This seal has beenfound to enhance the immersion of the player in the game universe byexcluding extraneous noises.

Should the player release the safe hands switch (not shown) or releasethe buckle as sensed by buckle switch 33 prior to the time that thecockpit has closed as sensed by limit switch 31, the motor 24 isreversed to drive the threaded worm in the first direction and open thecockpit. This feature is necessary to prevent the cockpit back 21 fromclosing on and injuring some part of the player's body (not shown).

An alternate preferred embodiment may utilize a hydraulic cylinder 34 toslide the cockpit back 21 on rails 23. An emergency bypass valve andorifice 35 allows the cylinder and cockpit back 21 to be slowly releasedin the event of power or system failure.

The cockpit processor 19 signals the identity and availability of theplayer to the hub processor 40 (FIG. 3) and receives from the hubprocessor information regarding the proper initial location of theplayer in the game universe. The local processor 19 then extractsappropriate images from its local library of images, assembles them, andpresents suitable graphics on the front display 41, the left wingdisplay 42, and the right wing display 43. These images will be updatedcontinuously throughout the duration of the player's immersion in thegame to provide suitable stimulation to the player. Similarly, suitableaudio messages are synthesized from a library of sound clips togetherwith real time digitized sound transmitted from the microphones 44 inselected cockpits at the same or another location and presented to theplayer through a left speaker 49 and a right speaker 50. The player mayspeak into microphone 44, sound from which will be digitized andtransmitted to other cockpits for communication in real time.

For optimum realism, it has been found necessary that the front display41 be a high resolution display of at least 1024 by 768 pixelsresolution, with 1280 by 1024 preferred, while a lower resolution of 680by 480 pixels has been found to be adequate for the side displays 42 and43. For adequate realism, all three displays must be color, and thegraphics displayed on both the front 41 and side displays 42 and 43 mustbe updated for motion at from thirty to sixty frames per second. Furtherit has also been found necessary for adequate realism that the system becapable of rendering complex images involving two thousand meshedtriangles per display. The display system must also be capable ofperforming lighting computations to determine the proper shading of eachpolygon, and of applying textures to images. The graphics system mustalso be capable of removing hidden surfaces.

In the preferred embodiment the center display 41 comprises a highresolution color cathode-ray tube monitor having a resolution of 1280 by1024 pixels and a 21-inch diagonal measurement. It has been found that aHitachi model CM2198 MSG monitor is a suitable monitor for the centerdisplay. It has been found that a Sharp liquid crystal display model6RA52 displaying 640 by 480 pixels in a 16 by 12 inch format is asuitable display for the side or wing displays 42 and 43.

The present invention is not intended to be limited to the specificdisplay devices herewith disclosed. Other display devices that meet therequirements of full color, resolution, update rate, and physicaldimensions may also be used.

In another preferred embodiment, the side or wing display panels 42 and43 consist of active matrix liquid crystal display panels in a six byeight inch diagonal format. An Optical Imaging System's Inc. model CQ8060 is adequate for the application.

The Silicon Graphics Onyx Reality Engine II system (FIG. 6), equippedwith eight 150 MHz MIPS R4400 processors 80, 192 megabytes of RAM,eighteen raster managers 81 each having a 16-megabyte texture memory,and 18 gigabytes of disk has been found suitable as a local processor 19for up to five cockpits 20. The buckle switches 33, control devices 45,magnetic card readers 17 and 51, and touch panels 46 are interfaced tothis system through the serial and parallel ports 82. In an alternatepreferred embodiment, a maximally configured Silicon Graphics OnyxReality Engine III (Kona) model is suitable as a local processor for upto twelve cockpits.

The player may enter control information to the local processor 19 bymeans of control devices 45 and touch panel 46. In the preferredembodiment, control devices 45 include a joystick. This controlinformation is used by the local processor 19 to control a digitalsimulation of a spacecraft in the game universe. Acceleration andattitude information from the simulation of the spacecraft associatedwith each cockpit is fed to the motion controller 47, which operates theelectropneumatic servos of the full motion base 48 which may move thecockpit 20 to provide tactile and kinesthetic feedback to the player. Amotion sickness bag (not shown) is provided in each cockpit for use inthe event that motion sickness results.

An electropneumatic motion base such as a PEMRAM 303 HPR/500 made byDenne Developments Ltd of Bournemouth, England, has been found suitablefor the motion controller 47 and full motion base 48. It has been foundthat an electropneumatic full motion base of the PEMRAM type offersfaster motion, and thus more fully immerses the player in the gameuniverse, than does a hydraulic motion base.

Interior surfaces of the cockpit are padded with a medium density moldedfoam material to prevent injury to a player should that player releasethe restraint system during an experience in the game universe. Thismaterial is also water resistant to prevent damage in the event a playerundergoes motion sickness.

Location and attitude information from a digital simulation of motion ofthe spacecraft representing each occupied cockpit is transmitted fromthe local processor 19 to the hub processor 40. Location and attitudeinformation of other simulated spacecraft in the game universe may betransmitted from the hub processor 40 back to the local processor,whereupon graphical information representing the relative position andattitude of these additional nearby spacecraft may be merged with imagesrepresenting other objects in the game universe and presented to theplayer as suitable graphics on the front display 41, the left wingdisplay 42, and the right wing display 43.

The real time software for each cockpit is interrupt driven. Each inputevent, for example the player fastening the restraint device to activatethe restraint buckle switch 33, generates an interrupt in the localprocessor 19. Upon answering the interrupt, an interrupt handlingroutine 72 (FIG. 11) marks the incoming event and associated informationin a sequence control table 70. Each sequence control table furthercomprises an enable subtable, a status subtable, a function subtable,and a parameter subtable. Separate sequence control tables 70 areprovided for the graphics processing, the spacecraft motion simulation,and for a number of other activities controlled from the touch panel ineach cockpit.

A master control module (FIG. 10) initializes the sequence controltables when the system power is turned on. This routine theninstantiates one or more copies of the system control module (FIG. 9).This system lends itself to running on a multiprocessor computer such asthe Onyx system because, through proper handling of the flags in thesequence control tables, it is possible for several sequence controlmodules to execute different functions in the system simultaneously.

A sequence control module (FIG. 9) reads the enable subtable and statussubtable of each sequence control table 70 to determine which functionalroutines must execute, and dispatches the required routines 72.

The game universe is constructed in part by players. A player may builda world on a home computer by selecting a planet size from a menu ofoptions. Similarly, a star type, a type, direction, and inclination oforbit relative to the ecliptic, a number of political, social, andbiosphere factors including characteristics of any sentient species, alevel of industry, and a number of military and architecturalcharacteristics may also be selected from the menus. Each selection ischarged against a ration of planetary points.

When a player has constructed a world, the player may submit that worldto the hub processor by modem or on a floppy disk, which will thenassign planetary coordinates for that world in the game universe. Aplayer may visit those worlds he or she has submitted, as well as otherworlds, space stations, stars, black holes, and wormholes created byother players or by the computer, in the course of an experience in acockpit my means of suitable entries on touch panel 46.

When a player first swipes his identity card in the external cardswiping device 17, that player is allotted an amount of time for play inthe cockpit. When a player's allotted time for play expires, the playermay swipe his identity card in the internal magnetic identity cardreader 51. The local processor 19 will then determine whether sufficientcredit remains in the player's account for additional play time. Ifsufficient credit exists, the local processor 19 may deduct a suitablecharge from the player account and allow play to continue. Should theaccount have insufficient credit for additional play time, the playerchooses to end his experience, or a preset maximum play time be reached,local processor 19 will then terminate operation of the motion base andactivate motor 24, rotating worm 25 to drive the nut 26 to separate thecockpit back 21 from the cockpit front 27. When the cockpit back 21 hassufficiently separated from the cockpit front 27, the player may exitfrom the cockpit.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with referenceto embodiments thereof presently contemplated as the best mode ofcarrying out such invention in actual practice, it is to be understoodthat various changes may be made in adapting the invention to differentembodiments without departing from the broader inventive conceptsdisclosed herein and comprehended by the claims that follow.

We claim:
 1. An entertainment system for use by a plurality of playerscomprising:a plurality of cockpits each having a computer graphicaldisplay device disposed therein; a plurality of local processors eachfor driving the computer graphical display devices of a plurality ofcockpits; and a hub processor responsible for maintaining a database ofplayers and player virtual personae, for maintaining a description of agame universe, for communicating audio signals between local processors,and for communicating locations of craft between local processors, saidvirtual personae being a player's self-assumed and self-developedcharacter that persists and develops through successive sessions of playuntil a player chooses to create a new virtual personae.
 2. Anentertainment system for use by a plurality of players comprising:aplurality of cockpits each having a computer graphical display devicedisposed therein and each including means to fully enclose at least oneplayer within the cockpit; a plurality of local processors each fordriving the computer graphical display devices of a plurality ofcockpits; and a hub processor responsible for maintaining a database ofplayers and player virtual personae, for maintaining a description of agame universe, for communicating audio signals between local processors,and for communicating locations of craft between local processors.
 3. Anentertainment system for use by a plurality of players comprising:aplurality of cockpits each having a computer graphical display devicedisposed therein; a plurality of local processors each for driving thecomputer graphical display devices of a plurality of cockpits; a hubprocessor responsible for maintaining a database of players and playervirtual personae, for maintaining a description of a game universe, forcommunicating audio signals between local processors, and forcommunicating locations of craft between local processors and means toallow a player in the cockpit to interact with the system.
 4. Theentertainment system of claim 3, additionally including means for aplayer to select characteristics of a player virtual personae associatedwith that player in the system.
 5. The entertainment system of claim 4,wherein a player may maintain his player virtual personae in the system,and the hub processor includes means to keep track of a player and theplayers cumulative performance from each time the player utilizes thesystem, past performance having an effect on current play for suchplayer in the system.
 6. The entertainment system of claim 5,additionally including means for a player to select characteristicswithin the game universe associated with such players virtual personae.7. The entertainment system of claim 6, wherein the means for a playerto select characteristics within the game universe associated with suchplayer virtual personae is a home computer connectable to the hubprocessor.
 8. The entertainment system of claim 7, wherein the means fora player to select characteristics of a player virtual personaeassociated with that player is a home computer connectable to the hubprocessor.
 9. The entertainment system of claim 4, wherein the means fora player to select characteristics of a player virtual personaeassociated with that player is a home computer connectable to the hubprocessor.
 10. An entertainment system for use by a plurality of playerscomprising:a plurality of cockpits each having a computer graphicaldisplay device disposed therein; a plurality of local processors eachfor driving the computer graphical display devices of a plurality ofcockpits; and a hub processor responsible for maintaining a database ofplayers and player virtual personae, for maintaining a description of agame universe, for communicating audio signals between local processors,and for communicating locations of craft between local processors saidhub processor including means for communicating with home computers. 11.An entertainment system for use by a plurality of players comprising:aplurality of computer graphical display devices located for use bydifferent players of the plurality of players; a plurality of localprocessors for driving the plurality of computer graphical displaydevices; and a hub processor responsible for maintaining a database ofplayers and player virtual personae, for maintaining a description of agame universe, for communicating between local processors, and forcommunicating locations of craft between local processors.
 12. Theentertainment system of claim 11, wherein display devices of theplurality of display devices include means to allow a player using adisplay device to interact with the system.
 13. The entertainment systemof claim 12, additionally including means for a player to selectcharacteristics of a player virtual personae associated with that playerin the system.
 14. The entertainment system of claim 13, wherein aplayer may maintain his player virtual personae in the system, and thehub processor includes means to keep track of a player and the playerscumulative performance from each time the player utilizes the system,past performance having an effect on current play for such player in thesystem.
 15. The entertainment system of claim 14, additionally includingmeans for a player to select characteristics within the game universeassociated with such players virtual personae.
 16. The entertainmentsystem of claim 15, wherein at least some of the display devices andlocal processors are home computers connectable to the hub processor.17. The entertainment system of claim 11, wherein at least some of thedisplay devices and local processors are home computers.